A Philosopher's Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness, Vol. 1 [Hardcover]

Brian Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 14, 2010

The Class We Never Had

Isn't it a bit odd that we went from Science to Math to History but somehow missed the class on how to live? For some wacky reason "Optimal Living 101" didn't make the schedule... But imagine if that class did exist and the teachers included everyone from the old school philosophers like Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Emerson, Nietzsche and Buddha to modern sages like Joseph Campbell, Paulo Coelho, Dan Millman, Deepak Chopra, Byron Katie, Eckhart Tolle and Wayne Dyer plus the world's leading positive psychologists like Sonja Lyubomirsky, Tal Ben-Shahar and Martin Seligman who are *scientifically* establishing how we can live with more happiness, meaning and mojo.

Think of this book as a Philosopher's notes on that awesome class. From "Spiritual Farts" and "110-Year Old You"s to "The Tolle Trap" and "Blissipline," you'll have fun getting your wisdom on in this inspiring, playful, wise and practical little book as Brian Johnson shares one hundred of his favorite Big Ideas on how to create a life brimming with a radiant enthusiasm only discovered when we align with the fundamentals of Optimal Living.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brian Johnson has written a wonderful book on optimal living that is very easy to read and has invaluable suggestions on how to live authentic, successful, loving, and happy lives. There is great wisdom in this book to help enrich anyone s life no matter what their age. I wish this book was available 40 years ago when I was just starting out on my own life journey. I whole heartedly recommend it." - John Mackey, CEO, Whole Foods

"Curiosity can kill cats but it can also create cool cats and Brian Johnson is, no doubt,the coolest cat I know. If I could install a "chip" in Chip's head that allowed me to download this book all day long, I'd do it in a minute. Or maybe not, because one of the brilliant truths of "A Philosopher's Notes" is the visceral sense of discovery you experience each time you turn the page. These notes are more than streams, they are raging rivers of wisdom and reading just a half dozen pages at a time will sustain you for a week." - Chip Conley, Founder of Joie de Vivre Hotels and Author of PEAK and Emotional Equations

"Brilliant! Brian Johnson has a rare gift for fresh-squeezing timeless wisdom and serving it up with a grin. Every single page of this phenomenal little book is packed with life-changing insights and down-to-earth charm. Prepare to get smarter, healthier and happier from the moment you pick it up!" - Pilar Gerasimo, Editor in Chief, Experience Life Magazine

"A great resource to live life at your absolute best." - Robin Sharma, author of the #1 international bestseller The Leader Who Had No Title

"Imagine if there was a book about personal growth that captured all the great lessons of all the hundreds of other great books and teachers? Look no further, this is the book! A Philosopher's Notes reads as quick as a page-turning novel, yet is filled with great nuggets of wisdom. Johnson makes every word count but does so with wit and style. Whether you've read 'em all or are new to the self-help aisle, A Philosopher's Notes is a must-read. It's one of, if not the best I've read (and I've read a lot of them). Already excited for number two." - Jason Wachob, creator of MindBodyGreen.com

"Brian's passionate love of wisdom oozes from A Philosopher s Notes. It s infectious. Distilling ancient wisdom to its essence, A Philosopher s Notes cuts through the noise of uncertainty. Without a wasted word Brian brings modern-world relevance to often- ambiguous philosophical writing, making it accessible and relevant to us all. It truly is the modern-day guide to optimal living." - Brendan Brazier, bestselling author of Thrive and formulator of Vega --Reviews

About the Author

BRIAN JOHNSON loves wisdom. He also loves creating cool businesses that inspire and empower people to live their most authentically awesome lives. A few years ago Brian decided to sell the business he was running and give himself a Ph.D. in Optimal Living. He couldn't find a program that integrated everything he wanted to study from old school philosophy, positive psychology and spirituality to nutrition, health & fitness, creativity, business and modern self-development. So, he decided to create his own doctoral program.

He earned his Master's by creating an innovative company called PhilosophersNotes where he shares "More Wisdom in Less Time" by distilling the Big Ideas from one hundred of his favorite optimal living classics into fun, inspiring and super practical 6-page PDFs, 20-minute MP3s and 10-minute PNTV episodes. This book is his dissertation. Before becoming a full-time Philosopher, Brian built and sold the social networking sites eteamz and Zaadz. He enjoys spooning with his Goddess when he's not reading, hiking, creating or otherwise enjoying himself.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: en*theos Enterprises (December 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983059101
• ISBN-13: 978-0983059103
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BRIAN JOHNSON is the Philosopher + CEO of en*theos. He also created PhilosophersNotes, taught Optimal Living 101, wrote a little book called A Philosopher's Notes, is featured in the documentary Finding Joe and has a monthly "Big Ideas" column in Experience Life magazine.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spiritual Buffet March 10, 2011

By Peter Weis

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A Philosophy Buffet.
(Total reading time 2-3 minutes)

Today on my quest to read fifty books in the year I finished reading number 8. A Philosophers Notes by Brian Johnson. The little book has almost two hundred pages packed with philosophy, self development and spiritual goodness. Don't be scared it is actually pretty easy to understand. The author uses a simple, current and conversational approach to make some pretty serious ideas understandable.

My favorite part of the book is that unlike many other books in the self development genre it is not overly preachy. Brian Johnson presents the reader with a buffet of ideas and take aways. You are free to pick and choose what you would like as appetizers, the main course and dessert. Yumo!

In life spirituality and religion sometimes collide. A Philosopher's notes shows us that living with Integrity, Blissipline, Gratitude, and a Positive Mindset is a cool thing to do.

The book is also packed with tons of inspiring quotes that on their own are seeds of wisdom.

Hear is a doggie bag of questions from the book to get you started.

Do you honor your commitments?
What do you want?
If you had all the time and money in the world what would you do?
What inspires you?
Besides the book, Brian Johnson also has a really cool website called-you guessed it Philosophersnotes.com . He takes us on a tour of 100 Self Development, Psychology, and Success classics. For a fair price you get 100 20-30 minute mp3s highlighting the major points and concepts of each book. Its the perfect way to absorb knowledge while out on a run or sitting in traffic. The mp3s are also an indispensable motivational tool for when you're having one of those days that just plan sucks.

Along with Leo Babauta's book The Power Of Less it is probably one of things I recommend to my friends most. I have actually had people return and thank me for the great resources each has to offer. Turn the TV off and dive in. There is an entire you out there waiting to be discovered.

On to book number nine.

Thats all I have to say.

Peter Weis

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BUY IT - to the point and brilliant! April 22, 2011

By EJensen0510

Format:Hardcover

I was already a fan of Brian's Philosopher's Notes and now this book! He has taken the best of the best of timeless wisdom and put it in this compact, fun book. Then he delivers it in such a concise and energetic manner. You truly feel his passion for knowledge and most importantly his passion for sharing that knowledge with others!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a gem!! July 12, 2011

By JEREMY BROOK

Format:Hardcover

After 30 years of being a chiropractic patient and 10 years of being a doctor of chiropractic, and 18 years of training with some of the top yoga masters in the world I can say that this book gives one of the best explanations of how to blaze a trail for supreme health I have ever been exposed to. Bravo Brian Johnson! I have been a follower of his Philosophers Notes([...] check it out) for years and will devour anything Brian Johnson puts out. Why? His book explains exactly how to create alignment on a mental, physical, financial, social, and spiritual level in a manner that anyone can process. I think this book should be mandatory for ALL health care professionals and for all the people who ever plan on achieving their highest level of health and human performance . This book is wonderfully surprising in its way of making the complex concepts so simple to understand. Making the simple complex is easy... making the complex easy is genius...and this book is a masterpiece. I have dropped this book in my hot tub, dripped food onto its pages, and have made more yellow highlights and page markings in it than a high school history book. Get this book if you want a playful yet deep book on creating an optimal life. Okay I'm babbling...but this book is just so darn good. Okay Bye!